JESS FRIEDMAN
“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.”
Alan Wilson Watts
Words from the artist:
In the experience of exploring our subconscious, we ebb and flow like ocean waves in a cycle of growth and stagnation. There are many avenues to take when approaching the emotional turmoil of the human experience. Parts of the subconscious respond to varying forms of therapy and finding support for healing of the emotional body is imperative. Painting lulls me into a meditative state automatically and can silence the inner chatter that seems to never stop. I can clear my mind and irresistibly become a spectator to my own emotional liberation, a state I refer to as natural flow of the subconscious. All the sudden, the composition develops on its own through the unveiling of time spent in the studio. There are varying amounts of power in different therapies, and I continue to look for outlets to feel joy and experience catharsis from stuck emotional energy.
I find little relief in traditional medicine. For me, hiking and making artwork are my healing outlets. I feel complete in nature and have learned that spending time outside is urgent in reducing chronic physical and emotional pain. Painting abstract landscapes has the same effect as nature. There is evidence that both of these activities is used to treat emotional wounding because they manifest meditative and calming emotions. These paintings and other artworks signify the constant process of spiritual repair and healing through the wild ways of nature by bridging connections between earth, artwork, and dreamlike projections of my subconscious.
To channel my psyche through art, the main practice I use is a product of flow-state. I use automatic movements and an open color palette for more freedom in the painting process. The compositions morph into landscapes that explore the physical constraints of the body and highlight the internal landscape of my mind. The act of making the paintings is the first step in healing; further adopting therapeutic qualities for becoming lost in the painting’s intricate, intimate details. That too, can cause a meditative-like state, allowing a dual-benefit: It was therapeutic for the one who painted it, and it becomes further therapeutic for the audience (which includes my own eyes as bystander). This is the goal of painting for me, to be an existing healing agent for all: The pain that has accrued in my metaphysical body has found release and storytelling in creating a landscape in which to become deliciously lost, in color and sublime detail, if only for a moment.
